Leave voters would accept some economic woes to ensure Brexit

Leave voters would accept economic woes to ensure Brexit

ESZTER ZALAN

Six in ten Leave voters think that significant damage to the UK economy is worth it as long as Brexit happens, a new YouGov poll shows.

While leading politicians in London debate on how to pursue Brexit, and with the EU negotiations having already begun, the survey shows that those who support leaving the EU do not mind paying a heavy economic price.

Finance minister Philip Hammond has also warned of dire economic consequences after Brexit. Nevertheless, almost 40 percent of Leave voters appear not to mind losing their jobs if it meant an end to the UK’s EU membership.

Only 20 percent of Leave voters think that is not a price worth paying.

The survey also shows that 39 percent of the Leave voters do not mind a personal cost either – they would be willing to lose their own job or that of a family member if it meant leaving the EU.

On the other hand, 38 percent of Leave voters think that job losses would be too much of a price to pay.

Older Leave voters are even more hardline: 71 percent of Leave voters over the age of 65 think that significant damage to the economy is worth it, whereas only 46 percent of voters between the age of 18 and 24 agree with that proposition.

The Remain camp have their ‘extremists’, as well. Thirty-four percent of Remain voters say that “significant damage to the UK economy would be a price worth paying for if it means that Britain stayed in the European Union”.